Kaylyn Easton: Reports from Berlin
Cameron Knowles: Eur09 (Pronounced You’re-Oh-Nine)
John Schwada: Islam in Germany…  School for Revolutionaries…  A Walk on the weird Side…  Bach and the Devil…

REPORTS OF PARTICIPANTS

John Burness, Duke University, Durham, NC

Having trolled a number of articles and websites in the weeks preceding the Spring Institute and read a few of the recommended books (Kagan’s Paradise of Power” was particularly informative), I thought I would have some appreciation of the issues about which we would be learning during the fellowship. I also benefitted greatly from reading Czerny’s “The Candy Bombers,” an illuminating work about the Berlin Airlift of 1948–49. Indeed of all the reading I did prior to the fellowship, Czerny’s work turned out to be the most valuable in providing context for much of what we learned in Berlin; I  encourage RIAS to include it among the recommended reading list in the future. 

My preparation was informative but I doubt any combination of readings could prepare a RIAS Fellow for the exceptional vitality, substance and good fun that characterized the program. I learned so much more than I had anticipated about the political, social and economic challenges and opportunities facing modern Germany. Unlike other European countries with which I have some familiarity and which think of their histories in terms of many centuries, Germany and particularly Berlin deliberately reminds itself through monuments and integrated modern architecture, symbols and conscious discussion of it’s history in the past century, almost to the exclusion of prior centuries. Indeed if I had one overarching take away from my fellowship, it is the degree to which Germany faces its future based on a deliberate and visible understanding and political and philosophical rejection of its relatively recent past. This “driving forward with it’s eyes on the rear view mirror” is a great strength but also, I suspect, a burden for Germany as it strives to find the right balance between acknowledging the destructive history of the centrally controlled Nazi and East German regimes and the establishment of democratic social values and economic strength in a modern world. Germany’s people, many of whom or their parents and grandparents lived under Hitler and later the Stasi, remember a very different world and are dedicated to not permitting Germany to return to that still lived memory. The fellowship helped me appreciate the degree to which Germany’s development as a social welfare and pacifist state is a direct reflection and rejection of its modern history. 

There are so many images from the fellowship, but let me highlight several that have particularly stayed with me.

* The timeliness of our visit, shortly after the anniversaries of the Berlin Airlift (and the recent closing of Tempelhof Airport) and the fall of the Wall, the recent EU elections and the upcoming national elections, combined with the global economic crisis to show  the complexity of the challenges Germany faces. The decisions to bail out Opel but not to bail out Arcandor reflect the constant balancing of social and economic values and political priorities as we saw in the visits with representatives of the major political parties and our discussions with media representatives. From the perspective of the U.S. media, Germany’s reluctance to invest in a major stimulus package was seen a wedge in U.S.-German relations. From this fellowship, I came to understand the forces that made each of these decisions understandable and even logical from a German perspective.

* The visits to Wannsee, Sachsenhausen Memorial (concentration camp), the Hohenschönhausen Memorial (Stasi prison) and to Leipzig where the protests led to the fall of the East German government and the Wall were a reminder not just of the almost unimaginable cruelty of Germany’s recent past but of the humanity of its people. I found the absence of bitterness and peaceful nature of Herr Zahn following the psychological deprivation he faced at the Stasi prison while the experience of his 10 months there clearly are embedded in his memory, to be remarkable. Frau Hollitzer’s is clearly living today the memories of her role in the Leipzig protests, in much the same way as people in the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s do. And the parallels between the Leipzig protests and the protests in Tehran during our visit in Leipzig helped give the German experience a contemporary marker.

* In my dinner with a RIAS fellow he gave me insights not only of the German industrial and economic situation, but a personal example of the lived history I noted earlier. He described how his mother learned only a few years ago that her husband, his father, had been involved tangentially with the Nazi’s as a 16 year old in 1945, as a result of an effort to reacquire a family property.

* Germany’s emergence as a pacifist state is a direct rejection of its history from WWI and WWII. This was brought home by the recent deaths of three German soldiers in Afghanistan while working on infrastructure, which led to discussions in the German media of why Germany should even have troops in Afghanistan. Germany’s objection to modified foods is an understandable and direct repudiation of the Nazi’s efforts at genetic engineering; it’s view of the conflicts in the Middle East starts with support of Israel, a direct reflection of its Nazi past.

* The economic challenges facing Germany, the implications for long term financing of its social welfare state given the demographics of its population and the cultural complexity of integration of its Turkish minorities all represent considerable challenges. Indeed when I looked at the social indicators (unemployment, educational achievement, etc) associated with its Turkish populations, the analogy to African Americans in the U.S. was pretty clear, reminding me that minorities everywhere face common issues.In Germany these are compounded by religious and attendant cultural issues

* The visit to the EU and particularly the fascinating conversation with the man responsible for managing the process for the EU’s determination of Turkey’s admission to EU was a reminder of the complexity (and bureaucracy) of the EU generally and the incredibly important issues associated with  whether the EU has a secular front facing an increasingly fundamentalist Muslim world.

* The vitality of Berlin, its rich culture, the integration of modern and traditional architectures, the creative monuments to its past — the stunningly powerful Holocaust Memorial and the inventive book burning memorial in the plaza adjacent to the Berlin State Opera House come to mind — as do at a more prosaic level, Cabaret Chamäleon and in Leipzig, Auerbachs Keller, where the wild boar was to die for.

* And finally, my fellow RIAS colleagues were an eclectic mix of people, all of whom recognize the opportunities for growth and learning that the two weeks of this remarkable fellowship presented for us. I especially appreciated the mix of established veteran reporters and freshly minted aspiring journalists. Cam Knowles and his wife have been by the other night and we laughed our way through dinner reminding each other of our adventures and the people who made them so interesting.

Perita Carpenter, ABC News, Washington, D.C.

From hello to hallo the journey began jetlagged, anxious, excited, and caffeinated. The RIAS 2009 fellowship was an educational, cultural, eye opening experience and my first time visiting Germany.   I learned my first German words from other RIAS Fellows and Lisa; experienced German sauerkraut, Turkish chicken, and of course mussels in Brussels. 

Two weeks came and went and every day was an adventure into learning and understanding Germany. From the various talks over breakfast, to the tours of historical sites, the program was intense but balanced.   I went to Germany with little knowledge of the nation and left with a wealth of knowledge and an appreciation for the culture, history and political discourse.

There were times during the program when my heart sank from hearing the stories and recounting the history of those who endured such horrible circumstances.   Our visit to Sachsenhausen a former concentration camp and the tour of Hohenschönhausen the former Stasi prison were by far the most heartbreaking. Our tour guides were the best at recounting the historical occurrences of the sites. The memory of the fall of the Berlin wall has always been imbedded in my brain from watching the news as a young child. However, to actually see, touch, and stand in east and West Berlin and see the Brandenburg Gate was truly one of the best highlights of this experience.   The various talks and meetings were informative and engaging. The sessions I found most interesting were those surrounding the integration of Turkish immigrants into Germany society and culture.

Some of the other highlights include a visit to Checkpoint Charlie, “Soap” Vaudeville Show, dinner at Auerbach’s Keller, Sanssouci Park, riding on the S-Bahn and U-Bahn, Wannsee Mansion, visit to NATO and the sweet taste of Belgium waffles.

It was truly a pleasure to spend two weeks with a most elite group of U.S. journalists and our outstanding host Rainer and Lisa all with whom it was an honor to exchange ideas, thoughts, readings, stories and memories. The RIAS 2009 fellowship was truly an invaluable experience.

Barbara Cochran, President emeritus, RTNDA, Washington, D.C.

For 12 years, I’ve wanted to make the RIAS-RTNDF trip to Europe with a group of other broadcast journalists. In June 2009, I finally was able to do it. The experience was well worth waiting for, one of the most unforgettable of my life.

Why had I been looking forward to the trip?

My interest goes back to the early days of the program, even before I joined RTNDA. I was the CBS News Washington bureau chief in 1994 when Bill Skane, a talented producer then working for 60 Minutes, asked for permission to go on a journalists’ trip to Germany. After satisfying myself that the funding and program were organized independently of any government influence, I gave my blessing. Bill came back so enthusiastic that a year later our colleague, Roxanne Russell, then the Weekend Evening News senior Washington producer, also applied and participated in the program.

So by the time I arrived at RTNDA and RTNDF, I was already familiar with the program. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the RIAS Berlin Commission created the program to extend and foster the understanding between the United States and Germany that had been the hallmark of the broadcasts disseminated by Radio in the American Sector during the Cold War. Gene Mater, an RTNDF board member who had helped to establish a free press in Germany in the early days after World War II, had helped to forge the partnership between RIAS and RTNDF.

I soon met Rainer Hasters, the RIAS Berlin Commission executive director. It was clear that he ran an outstanding program with great enthusiasm, and I always looked forward to seeing him and the current year’s RIAS fellows at each annual RTNDA convention. I also had the chance to meet the German fellows as they arrived in the United States. I was always impressed with their familiarity with U.S. current affairs and their knowledge of American media. Like most journalists, they asked pointed questions that kept me on my toes.

Several RTNDA and RTNDF board members made the trip to Europe and came back with glowing reviews. That only made me more anxious to participate in the program myself.

Beyond the RTNDA-RTNDF connection, I had other reasons to want to go. I had studied European history and languages in college. In my career as a journalist, I had often dealt with U.S. foreign policy stories. Occasionally, I had been part of the press corps that traveled with the U.S. President to summits with European leaders. One of the major stories of that time was the collapse of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe and the fall of the Berlin Wall. So I was very curious about what Europe, and especially Germany, would be like nearly two decades later.

As high as my expectations were, the trip exceeded them. I came back with a much deeper and richer understanding of how history shapes today’s political and social debates. It’s one thing to read and hear news reports about the government, the economy, the social fabric of a country. It’s quite another to talk with party representatives, to meet with a variety of experts and ordinary people, to hear from leaders of diverse communities. The experience leaves an indelible impression and makes subsequent discussions more concrete and easier to understand.

Among those unforgettable memories:

• Touring the Stasi prison with a former prisoner, now a delightful 80-year-old, who sat in the cell where he was held and recited a Shakespearean sonnet to demonstrate how he kept his psychological balance.
• Walking up the glorious ramp inside the dome atop the Reichstag, a symbol of transparency in the seat of government.
• Listening to the leader of the Turkish community in Berlin and comparing his views and expectations with what we had heard from the leading government official with responsibility for immigration policy.
• Enjoying dinner and a discussion of career and personal changes with a German journalist and his wife, a private school principal.
• Feeling the chill in the rooms of the mansion at Wannsee where Nazis plotted “the Final Solution.”
• Strolling the streets of Leipzig with a woman whose courage to protest helped spark “die Wende,” and learning that the most outlandish techniques of intimidation portrayed in the movie, “The Lives of Others,” were used in reality by the German Democratic Republic.
• Learning from top German journalists about the challenges they face in both public and private broadcasting.
• Gaining a much better understanding of the European Union and NATO and the common ground and differences with U.S. policy

One of the best aspects of the program was the balance between policy briefings and cultural and personal experience. We heard from the top political parties and we went to the opera. We learned about labor policy and we laughed at the cabaret. In every location, we received a geographic and historic orientation. The schedule was demanding, but we still had time to explore on our own. In every instance, the logistics were outstanding, up to and including a flawlessly executed transfer at the Frankfurt train station in just 12 minutes.

For the entire two weeks, Rainer and Lisa were the perfect hosts, always ready with a touring or restaurant suggestion, a bit of historic background or a funny anecdote to lighten the mood. Some of our favorite memories — the boat ride on the Spree on our first day, the tiny park in an elegant Brussels neighborhood — would never have occurred without Rainer’s recommendations.

One other aspect made the experience truly enjoyable, and that was sharing it with our fellow travelers. Even though there was a wide range in ages, career paths and geographic background, everyone seemed to appreciate and learn from one another. The students’ questions were just as good as those of the more senior citizens and I loved hearing their tales about what they did in their free time. The group dynamics added immeasurably to the experience. This was certainly the most technically astute group I’ve ever traveled with. Everyone was blogging and shooting and recording, which allowed us to share the experience even after the two weeks ended.

John Cochran, ABC News, Washington, DC

Before I embarked on the June 2009 RIAS program for American journalists, I had high expectations. Now that I have completed the program, I realize I underestimated its value. At each of the cities we visited, there were highlights. However, for me, the most rewarding times were in Berlin.
The speakers we met were obviously carefully chosen by RIAS. They all offered worthwhile insights. For example, at the Reichstag (Bundestag) it was valuable to hear from representatives of opposing parties. The timing of our visit was fortunate, given both the economic problems facing Germany in a global economy and also the upcoming elections. The speakers at the Reichstag and elsewhere were all well informed, and seemed eager to present their views. I know that some American politicians only go through the motions when addressing visiting groups, and the visitors leave disappointed. That did not happen with any of our speakers in Germany or Brussels.

Obviously, given the times we live in, our interest was primarily, though not exclusively, in economics and politics. RIAS provided plenty of that, but also gave us a wider canvas of history and culture. Opportunities for museums, concerts, opera and satirical theater were available to any of us who wanted to partake. The visits to a former concentration camp and the Stasi prison left us all with indelible impressions.

I know my younger colleagues on this visit gained much insight. But, as a former London-based correspondent who spent a good deal of time in Germany and Brussels in the 1980’s, I can say I benefited just as much. My visits in recent years were brief ones as White House correspondent while reporting on visiting U.S. presidents, Clinton and the two Bushes. The visits were so compressed that there was little opportunity for a really good look into the changes over the past two decades.

As an example, I point to my final two reports in 1987 as a foreign correspondent before returning to Washington to cover first the State Department and then the White House. Both of those reports were on the ascendancy of Erich Honecker. I reported on his official visit to Bonn where a visibly unhappy Helmut Kohl welcomed him with full honors including a military salute from West German military personnel. I also went to Honecker’s hometown in the Saarland where some local citizens regarded him as a hometown-boy-who-made-good. Like so many others, I could not foresee East Germany’s demise two years later.

I was in Washington at the White House when the Berlin Wall came down. So, I have felt that I have little knowledge of present-day Germany and its neighbors.

Now, thanks to RIAS, I feel much more confident in reporting on the region. That includes the EU’s attitude toward Turkey and the present-day problems in Germany of Turks and Germans of Turkish origin. Much has changed since the days when I covered the “Gastarbeiter” problems.

In particular, I feel my reporting will be considerably more informed as I take on the German elections, comparisons between the American and German approaches to the economic crisis, and other issues such as the expected changes in the EU after Ireland votes.
I can only offer my admiration and appreciation to everyone involved in this program. 

Kaylyn Easton, University of Indiana

I awoke to green pastures and sunlight, my first glimpse of Germany flying into Berlin. There were windmills in the distance, and house lined streets becoming more frequent as the city limits drew closer. Looking down from my window, the fields seemed familiar. Not unlike the ones I’d grown up with in the Mid West. Still, different though, I knew. My heart pounded with a mixture of nervous and excitement. The anticipation I felt rivaled that of the dual jet engines roaring to keep the airplane in flight. Somewhere over the north Atlantic, I had watched Chiti Chiti Bang Bang, and Dick Van Dyke’s voice still rang in my head as the captain welcomed me to Deutschland. I was here.

My grandfather had told me stories of visiting his beloved Germany. His skillful knack of exaggeration made me skeptical of the country’s ability to be so grand, but I was wrong. Attending the RIAS program brought truth to my grandpa’s narrative, and created a far greater attachment to the country and my heritage than I ever thought possible.

From start to finish the RIAS program provided fascinating seminars, warm friends, and yummy bier. No amount of schooling could compare with the amount of knowledge received on the trip. The fellowship was everyday filled with learning, and I welcomed the opportunity to personally experience topics that had only been previously read about in college textbooks.

I’m a big history buff; in fact some of my dear friends have affectionately called me a nerd, but I’ll be the first to argue that the pervasiveness of history, change and development Germany, especially Berlin, has seen is far greater than anything America has ever witnessed. The empires and kingdoms date back to the early centuries of time, the large influence the culture had on the turmoil of the 20th century and the incredible strides the German people have taken to redirect and re-establish their spot in our future amazed me. The monuments, cathedrals, palaces and testaments to times gone by all astounded me. I got lost in all the history and was perfectly content.

Though all the cities we journeyed to were lovely, none came close to touching my heart like Berlin. Ich liebe Berlin. The city was vibrant and filled with an energy unnoticed in my travels to equally considered places like Paris, Madrid, and Athens. Even Munich, though a close second favorite, was not as exciting as Berlin. The city felt familiar and welcoming. Though a foreigner, I felt oddly at ease walking the streets and became attached to the blend of tradition and modernity one finds. Even attending the opera Salome excited me because I was participating in a musical tradition so welcomed by the Berliners. I was sad to leave the city after only one week’s time, but have since begun the countdown to my next visit of Berlin.

Breakfast talks with professional journalists were most enjoyable. It was nice to drink a fresh cup of java and talk freely about Germany’s historical and political policies. The guests of honor were always full of good humor and information, and I often found myself jotting down their interesting quotes to use in my blogs. Senior political editor for the newspaper Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg, Thomas Habicht, closed his talk with this statement one morning, “Germany has the largest population in Europe, the largest economy in Europe, and the worst history.” That phrase continually rang in my head for two weeks as I sought to immerse myself in the German culture and concept. His statement helped to simplify a much broader understanding of Germany, and Mr. Habicht was kind enough to chat with me after breakfast on the topic of German guilt and learning from their past. I appreciate, so much, Mr. Habicht’s insight, along with all the other professionals we were able to meet. The entire fellowship was filled with interesting characters and a wealth of information. There is simply not enough room to reiterate how gratifying the entire trip was.

Another favorite part of the fellowship was spending a solo evening with a German journalist. Birgit Keller was my host for the event, and we enjoyed laughter and splendid conversation. Over a bottle of wine, she told me all about her days of modeling for the GDR and participating in the Olympic-like games East Germany held during the Cold War. She showed me her resume tape and opened up about life as a mother, woman, and professional. Ms. Keller is no doubt an inspiration to young journalists. She presents an air of veracity and warmth often unseen in the industry, and I value the time she spent and the hospitality she showed during my visit. 

Of course, the entirety of this magnificent experience would not be possible without the efforts of Rainer and Lisa. Both were incredible, patient, and friendly to the sixteen American journalists who bombarded their country with questions, suppositions, and energy. Rainer showed visible passion for his work, and I cannot imagine the fellowship without him. Lisa and Rainer are wonderful people, who made the fellowship all the more enjoyable.

The efforts of Rainer and Lisa, combined with the fantastic group of journalists participating in the program, really made the two-week fellowship exceptional. Participating in the RIAS 2009 trip was an extraordinary experience, one I am so thankful to have attended. It was an honor to travel, learn, and laugh with so many wonderful people.

Jennifer Hale, WVTM-NBC 13, Birmingham, AL

What an amazing experience, both professionally and personally! The RIAS program has helped me grow both as a journalist and as a human being. I had a hard time deciding what to focus this essay on, given the plethora of directions I could go in and experiences I could describe. 

I’ll start with some overall impressions. Contrary to my preconceived notions prior to arrival, I found Germans to be warm, engaging people who enjoyed talking and sharing. I had imagined Germans to be uptight, ever-efficient, all business folks. To be sure, they are efficient, but not in an unfriendly way. Bless Rainer’s heart, he tried to keep us dilatory Americans punctual! The Germans I encountered on the street were friendly, willing to offer advice or directions and proud to share their country. I will say I was surprised at the Germans’ eagerness to discuss American politics, U.S. leaders and my personal thoughts on decisions and elected leaders; yet they seemed almost offended when I inquired about their political affiliations and thoughts on recent decisions and leaders. There certainly were some cultural differences!

I also found German food and wine to be outstanding, and I was most impressed with the beauty of the country. Of course, I loved the Old World ambiance of cities like Leipzig and the university in Bonn, but, to my surprise, I loved Berlin’s architecture just as much. I couldn’t imagine how the mix of old and new would look, but the Reichstag especially was most impressive, with its historic castle base and modern dome top replacing the damaged portions of the castle’s facade. I love the symbolism incorporated into the glass exterior, a transparent government for all to see and take part in. 

On the education front, I very much admire how the Germans have a dual educational track for students who wish to attend university and those who have a more trade-school oriented career in mind. I think this system better serves the next generation compared to what is in place in the U.S., where we have focused almost solely on college as the sole form of higher education and, to an extent, shame those who don’t plan to attend a university, despite the lucrativeness and demand for skilled laborers. 

One thing that did stand in stark contrast to behavior in the United States - the public treatment of issues like the Nazi and Communist regimes. One of my essays for my application focused on how both the South (in the U.S.) and Germany are still battling racial stigmas dating back a generation or more in some cases. I was taken aback by the Communist and even Nazi souvenirs you could buy at some souvenir stands, especially by Checkpoint Charlie. It didn’t offend me, but it did surprse me. I can’t imagine anyone in the U.S. selling replica Ku Klux Klan robes or hoods,  as some German vendors were selling replica uniforms, hats and shirts. 

 Another impressive point: Germany’s social safety net. I very much admire the system’s structure and success. The Germans, in my opinion, have achieved a great balance between catching those who truly fall between the cracks and weeding out those who are just lazy. The safety net’s short term work feature keeps people’s spirits up - since they’re still working - and ensures the country as a whole is getting something out of the tax payer money Germany invests into welfare programs, as opposed to here in the U.S. where we pay people to sit home. I also wish we could borrow the play book page that spells out the rules that, after a certain time, if you haven’t found work, you must go volunteer with a good cause in order to keep receiving benefits. There is so much to be done here at home. Imagine if we put all those on welfare to work!

Another big trip highlight: the visit to NATO. We had an incredible delegation brief us during our stay. I certainly never fully appreciated the scope of what NATO accomplishes. An international peace keeping mission is a fantastic idea and obviously needed. The benefits of NATO are endless - especially given Europe’s history of conflict. I think the need for NATO is great, and it makes sense given Europe’s strong attachment to a sense of peace and unification. 

However, when I look at the practical side, the U.S. has more troops committed to Afghansitan and the peace keeping mission than all other countries combined. Most of the Germans I met, unequivically, feel the U.S. should be more peaceful and operate under a talk first, take action second doctrine. However, I think that is a luxury the U.S. provides. Many European countries can get by with small armies (leaving more free cash for the social programs extolled in this essay) and allow the U.S. to pick up the slack if ever there is a problem. I do feel like, in this one area, there is a strong disconnect and much room for improved understanding. Contrary to the beliefs of several of my new German friends, I believe if you’re footing the vast majority of the personnel and financial bill, you get to have much more autonomy in the decision-making process. I truly believe America’s generosity and military excellence allows our allies numerous opportunities and luxuries they wouldn’t otherwise enjoy. 

This experience was incredible, and I very much look forward to continuing it when I host a German journalist in New Orleans this fall. 

Chris Heim, KMUW-FM, Wichita KS

The RIAS Spring 2009 program was my third opportunity to visit Germany. The first time I went as a tourist and saw the things tourists see (and missed many of the things tourists miss). On my next trip, with a friend who grew up in Berlin, I began to discover at least a bit about daily life. With the RIAS fellowship, I started to understand something of the complexities of German life, politics and culture.

It began with the suggested readings for the trip, particularly Jane Kramer’s The Politics of Memory (which more than many things I had read brought out the layers, crosscurrents, and contradictions surrounding some of the key issues in the country) and continued through three weeks of amazing people and experiences.

It is hard to say enough about the program. The speakers to a person were thoughtful, articulate, experienced and fascinating. The range of topics covered and places visited were truly impressive. I came away with a much clearer view of economic, political, social, media, immigration, East/West and other issues than I had before. Just in time for the fall elections (!), I now have a much clearer understanding of the main political parties and their positions. As a result of the fellowship, I also began to understand just how significant the partnership between Germany and the U.S. is and where we as nations have both similar and different interests.

The program also preserved a wonderful balance between group and individual activities, information-packed sessions and more leisurely pursuits. In addition, the food was always excellent and the accommodations top-notch (I am now spoiled). I definitely miss German Brötchen.

One would also be hard-pressed to find more congenial, helpful, knowledgeable, and organized guides than Rainer Hasters and Lisa Ziss. Their patience, attention to detail, good humor and wide-ranging interests ensured that everything ran smoothly, allowing us then to focus entirely on the activities at hand. I would add much the same for my fellow ‘fellows.’ It’s not easy for sixteen strangers to be suddenly thrown together for two very intense, fast-paced weeks, but we quickly jelled into a congenial collective. I enjoyed and learned from everyone.

In addition to participating as a broadcast journalist, I was able to wear my student and print journalist hats as well. While in Berlin, I spent an afternoon at Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv (my thanks to Dr. Jörg-UweFischer for his kind assistance) looking through archival material relating to RIAS and other Berlin radio stations during the Cold War, an area I am focusing on in my graduate studies. I also spent time with Ersatzmusika, a fascinating ‘alternative urban folk’ group of Russian émigrés now based in Berlin (this for a feature on the band for the world music magazine, Dirty Linen). After the group program, I spent an additional extension week in Köln and was able to interview people involved in world music radio and management, as well as collect materials and attend performances related to world music. I had particularly impressive and enlightening conversations with Tom Petersen, Head of Music at Funkhaus Europa and Birgit Ellinghaus of Alba Kultur. This too should result in pieces for print. It will also serve as the foundation for a special program about German music and world music in Germany that I will present to members of our radio station and for special features I will include in my nightly world music radio show. Finally, I would add that the fellowship, and various projects pursued by members of our group, made me more aware of potential future stories for both print and radio. I imagine the ‘results’ of this fellowship will continue to be revealed in that way for a long time to come.

I was asked several times since I returned for the one thing stood out during the fellowship and I found myself at a loss for how to reply. Almost every day something remarkable happened. Instead I found myself focusing on impressions, observations and realizations that I think will stay with me long after some of the specific, day-to-day details have faded:

I was looking forward to the trip in part as an opportunity to be immersed in the language for several weeks. Having a bit of German added to my experience. Most days I would spend at least a little time gleaning as much as I could from various German newspapers. Nearly every day, I found some story relating directly to a topic that had come up in our sessions, or pieces (for example, the Autonomen car burnings, over 170 since the start of the year, that had been going on in Berlin) that helped give me a sense of place and of issues large and small that concerned citizens. (If I would add anything to the program, it would be some time, perhaps over breakfast meetings, to show fellows some of the major stories and interesting features being reported in the daily papers. The other addition to the program that might be useful would be a bit of dedicated, structured time for fellows to discuss together some of their questions and impressions.)

I was also able to take in a bit from German television. I was particularly delighted to stumble on a documentary about the DDR’s Palast der Republik and see pictures of the restaurant, bowling alley and theatre space (with shots of Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba performing). The documentary ended with the (unsuccessful) protests to stop the building from being torn down. Though I am really in no position to understand all of the issues here, I have to say I agreed with the protesters.

Despite all that and my regular attempts at daily conversations in German, I came away with a much clearer understanding of how someone can live in a place literally for years and still not have much of the language. The vocabulary you need to get by on a daily basis is remarkably small (and easily augmented by context and gestures). ‘Immersion’ only gets you so far, I discovered. Then you have to hit the books, work at the grammar and build a vocabulary. As far as I can tell at the moment, I only came back with two new words, Aufschlag (tennis serve) because I watched some of the Wimbledon coverage on German television, and Blattlaus (aphid ) because there was a Plage (plague — OK, three words) of them in Köln while I was there due to the warmer, more humid weather. Since returning, I’ve learned another new insect word, Marienkäfer (ladybug). Apparently there is now a Plage of them because they have so many Blattläuse to eat. Also since returning and continuing to watch Nachtmagazin online, I finally understood why I saw people walking around the Reichstag dome (the program regularly uses this as a backdrop for interviews) and was excited to see a report coming from the EU press room, now knowing exactly where that is.

The challenges to media and the changes in technology really are global. I was surprised (though in retrospect, I shouldn’t have been) by the similarities of audience demographics, media usage, and generational differences in U.S. and German media. There seems to be some consensus that things are on their way to collapsing into complete online delivery, but what this means for literacy, civic engagement, professional journalism and more are questions both countries will have to grapple with as these changes continue and accelerate over time.  

The role reversal of public and commercial media in Germany and the U.S. was quite striking. Anyone in public radio or TV in this country could not help but be struck by (and envious of) the resources and audience of the public system in Germany. As a listener and viewer, I was impressed by public broadcasting news and documentary programs. As a music programmer, though, I found the offerings a bit wanting. The commercial stations (which, from my small sample, sounded a lot like the banal and sometimes annoying American ones) don’t offer much by way of musical variety, while the public stations seem to feel they can’t simply play and talk about music alone, but must regularly inject news, interviews and cultural, social and political material. While such programming is certainly good and important, it makes music secondary. American public radio, of course, has been shameful in its own demolition of music programming, but one can still find at least some classical, blues, jazz, world and alternative shows that are just about the music. Radio really can serve as a ‘museum’ and ‘showcase’ for music in a way that nothing else can. The lack of outlets for truly diverse and alternative musical offerings is a serious problem for musicians, audiences and, in the long run, the cultures of both countries.

The visits to Sachsenhausen concentration camp and the Berlin Hohenschönhausen Memorial, along with the Leipzig tour and visit to the Museum in der “Runden Ecke,” were utterly essential to the fellowship experience, though, of course, also profoundly disturbing and sad.  For me, I think the most moving moment was walking up to the gate at the first watchtower in Sachsenhausen and seeing the iron grillwork with the words: ARBEIT MACHT FREI. I had seen photos before, but to see this in person and to realize it would be one of the first things to confront inmates as they marched into the confines of the camp was chilling.

In some ways, what was most striking about both places was not just their inhumanity, but the cruel deliberation literally built into them. I was stunned to hear that Sachsenhausen had an architect— that instead of being thrown together, it was deliberately designed with these purposes in mind.  Hohenschönhausen as well had its trip wires along all the hallways to alert guards in case anyone got out of hand, red warning lights to ensure prisoners never saw one another, opaque glass to block all views of the outside world. Was this facility designed this way from the ground up? Were there models or prototypes that were ‘refined’ over time? Did someone do some kind of  ’research’  to discover the most effective ways to break people down? Was that someone’s ‘life’s work’— finding answers to such diabolical questions and  developing plans for such evil institutions?

The graffiti from Russian soldiers inside the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, and the large open air exhibit in Alexanderplatz marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall were also profoundly moving. History and memory seem so much a part of the German experience — more complicated (as I learned from the Kramer book) than it might seem at first glance — but something I think we can and should learn important lessons from. (Though, in contrast, the presence of a Starbucks a half block from Checkpoint Charlie seemed somehow just wrong.)

I think we were all struck during our visit to the Turkish Community Berlin by the young man who told of spending a summer abroad in America many years ago and still being in touch with a young friend from the family there. Yet, despite being born, growing up and living all of his life in Germany, he found he didn’t have a single German friend. As he remarked, America is based on an idea of ‘melting pot,’ while Germany began with an idea of ‘nation.’ Still, I came away with a strong sense that the country is working hard on issues of multiculturalism. There are lessons for us as well in how to think about and address these problems and to grapple with and make amends for past history.

On  the last night of the program, as we were having our final dinner together, I spent a bit of time talking with John Cochran. At one point he said that he didn’t think we would really understand the full significance of this experience until it was long over. Only now am I beginning to understand what he meant and how right he was.

Chris Knight, WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH

Fieldtrip of Dreams

As a student, I must have participated in dozens of field trips to locations all around my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. The zoo, the airport, art museums, even a bank and the local fire department. Of course, the whole idea of traveling to a site is to get the kind of  knowledge that you can’t glean from a textbook or lecture, the kind of knowledge that comes from being immersed in a subject. I just returned from the greatest field trip of my life and can honestly say, it has changed the way I see my world!

The years of experience in planning these trips was evident to me in the first few days of “boots on the ground” in Berlin. Our RIAS hosts, Rainer Hasters and Lisa Ziss eased our group of jet-lagged and wide-eyed Americans into the program of daily meetings with politicians, journalists and experts as well as tours of places as diverse as the Reichstag, Sachsenhausen concentration camp, former Stasi police headquarters, NATO and the beautiful city of Brugge, Belgium. Each session and each stop added another layer of “fabric” to our understanding of the complex tapestry that is today’s Germany and Europe. Somehow, all of this was accomplished without overloading us with information. Each visit was unrushed and we were encouraged to ask questions of the speakers (looking back now, it would have been next to impossible to keep this group of curious journalists from chiming in). The days all had some built in free time to rest but most of us took the opportunity to get out and explore these beautiful cities (Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne & Brussels). I, like many of my fellow fellows, figured I could rest when I get home.

From the speakers to the meals to the top-notch accommodations to the journalists selected to participate, RIAS managed to put together a program that absolutely achieved its goal of better understanding of our German-American connections. On the flight home, I thought about the idea of putting such a trip together on my own and quickly realized that it simply couldn’t be done. The combination of the RIAS Berlin Commission’s reputation, their years of experience at running these 2-week programs and the diverse collection of journalists they’ve assembled in one place is synergistic and cannot be reproduced.

I can’t thank RIAS & RTNDA enough for giving me in this amazing opportunity to immerse myself in German culture, government and media with such a great group of people. I’ve already been raving to my colleagues about this experience and would encourage anyone with a curiosity about the world beyond our borders to investigate this program. You can thank me later!   

Cameron Knowles, Freelance Producer, Durham, NC

Let me begin by saying that I believe this program has given me way more than I can ever give back to it. I have traveled through Germany at two exciting times in its history, once in 1995, before the capital moved back to Berlin from Bonn, and again in 2009 as the country prepared to mark the 20th anniversary of re-unification.

In between, it was my pleasure to host eight German journalists in Houston, Texas, Saginaw, Michigan and Durham, North Carolina. I have had a chance to meet ordinary Germans, people from my profession and colleagues in the American media from a broad range of career paths with a wide variety of experiences.

My first time in Germany, I was a news reporter with a news/talk station in Michigan. I was interested in the historical and cultural changes going on with the advent of the EU, the process of re-unification and what the future might bring. Additionally, I prepared a news series on how three U.S. companies were using the German marketplace for their global footprint. Dow Chemical, Dow Corning and General Motors all had a strong presence in Germany and their sites in Baden, Wiesbaden and Kaiserslautern, respectively, were key players in the American marketplace. I also produced a cultural story about a small town in mid-Michigan, Frankenmuth, which had been founded by settlers from the Frankonia region of Bavaria.

Flash forward to 2009, and I developed quite another story indeed. I had hoped to update the business stories I had covered back in 1995, to see what was happening in the global marketplace. However, Dow Chemical was in the process of a major internal restructuring and declined to participate in my story. General Motors had just reabsorbed Delphi in the United States, and was furiously trying to spin off its German subsidiary Opel. The Delphi/GM plant I had visited in 1995 was closed, with the work being moved to Strasbourg and Poland. And Dow Corning’s facility in Wiesbaden did not play the same role in its global marketplace as it did in 1995.

However, another Dow Corning facility, called Hemlock Semiconductor, did become the focal piece of my work. The site is in mid-Michigan, and has plans to become the hub of a Silicone-based industrial boom in that community, focusing on the manufacture and sale of products related to the solar energy marketplace.

I was able to develop leads through my trip with the German government, EU government, ordinary citizens and entrepreneurs to get their take on what it would mean for the United States to enter the solar marketplace. I am still compiling this story but will have a greater insight because of my travels through the RIAS Berlin Kommission.

As an independent reporter in 2009, I also had my eye out for other possible stories and developed two unique angles. One has to do with a Christmas ornament manufacturer in Lauscha, Thuringia which has a three-generation relationship with a company in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The Lauscha Glass Works, now owned by Krebs, made contact with Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in the 1970’s, when Lauscha was deep into the former East Germany. This relationship has continued through very difficult economic times, and flourishes today.

Secondly, I have prepared an article for a Michigan magazine about the memories of the five journalists I hosted in mid-Michigan from 1999-2002. They share some amazing stories, from the social aspects of being ‘one of the girls’ in the news media, to an unbelievable story of a reporter from Dresden finding a man who was a P-51 pilot during WWII, who used the landmark Blue Wonder Bridge in Dresden as a visual reference for bombing runs.

I have developed several other ideas which I hope to spin into either stories, articles or perhaps a film, because of this trip to Germany.

During the trip, I also demonstrated multi-media news gathering by producing short video clips for the internet, and incorporating blogging-technology via Facebook and Twitter. As I found visiting a variety of news organizations in Germany, just like the U.S., there is a great concern about what shape the new media will take, but also great optimism. I was able to roll up my sleeves and take part in this process first hand.

Where will this go from here? I’m not sure. I continue to be in a transition in my career. After 17 years in broadcast news, I spent almost seven in sports marketing. As an independent journalist, I’m using the skills I learned in marketing to hustle my stories and story ideas to an increasingly cash-strapped marketplace. But I’m optimistic. I believe I have a great background in journalism, and with the experience of being a part of the RTNDA/RIAS Berlin Kommission experience, I have a unique set of contacts to call upon for a variety of story ideas.

I hope to continue to host in the program moving forward. Having contact with eight journalists, seven of whom I reconnected with during my trip through Germany this summer, remains among the best professional contacts I’ve made in my life. I count these people as both professional colleagues and international friends.

If there’s any way for me to give more back to the RTNDA/RIAS Berlin Kommission, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m ready at the drop of a hat to do whatever I can to keep this unique experience available to journalists as the tremendous asset I’ve known it to be in my career.


Meghan Lopez, University of Hawai’i, Honolulu HI

Durch Dick und Dünn gehen: From Concentration Camp to Cabaret

Anyone who has ever graduated from college only to find a dismal job market, record unemployment and a general downsizing of all businesses within their industry can imagine my frustrations in job-hunting today. With the need for reporters to be able to do more than ever before, searching for a first job can be quite an intimidating experience. Many organizations are not willing to take the risk on inexperienced reporters, who find themselves not only competing for a scarce number of job openings with other recent graduates, but also with professionals who have years of experience on their side. However, continuing a long history of innovation and constant deviation from the behaviors expected of a Cold War radio news station, RIAS has evolved once again and looked beyond inexperience to find opportunity.

For the first time, the RIAS/RTNDF German Fellowship reached into the future to allow recently graduated students to accompany professional journalists on a two-week program around Germany as well as Belgium to examine the German media and social structure. Though it was my first ever fellowship, RIAS has certainly set a precedent for all others by providing excellence in its organization and presentation. The experiences and intimate understanding I gained during my time in Germany have completely changed my views of German society today and its function in a constantly changing world.

From meetings with different party officials at the Bundestag to NATO, the European Union to both private and public news stations in Germany, RIAS managed to compact years worth of Germany’s social development and current issues into a two-week fellowship. Their main goal was to give journalists an understanding of where the future of the country is headed and how it relates to a global community.

At first glance, the program schedule looked overwhelming. But, Rainer Hasters and Lisa Ziss did a great job in balancing time for tourist curiosity and our official appointments. Logistically, everything was extremely well organized. There was never a time when I didn’t know where I was supposed to be or what I needed to be doing. The hotel accommodations, travel, food and even entertainment were top-notch. Rainer and Lisa completely took the stress out of our travels. They even arranged a Cabaret show!

Over the course of the fellowship, I had the opportunity to talk with other professional reporters, producers, cameramen and the like. I heard their stories about starting out in the industry and received numerous pieces of advice on what my next step should be and ways I could get into the industry. I made valuable contacts and forged friendships with people all over the industry. RIAS also set each of us up on a blind date dinner with a German journalist. It was during this one on one time that we had the opportunity to ask questions about life as a journalist in Germany and some of the key differences they saw between the two countries. My date was with Ute Kindler, a freelance radio reporter. We spoke about everything from her experience growing up during the Cold War to how she got started in the industry. We even went Latin dancing at a place called Club Havana!

All dancing aside, as an American journalist who has experienced nothing but competition between news organizations, I was intrigued to learn about the importance of Germany’s public news stations. Due to public funding, these stations have more liberty to choose underreported or unpopular stories to investigate and can allow more time to present stories that the private, competitive media outlets. Although the average age of viewers of public stations is 60, this theory of news coverage where people pay to promote the spread of knowledge is ideal. I was also interested to hear that one of the main differences between television reporters in the U.S. and Germany is the amount of face-time American reporters get in comparison to German journalists. In the American newsrooms I have been in, reporters and anchors alike are well known in the community. In Germany, however, reporters are rarely ever on the air and the sense of urgency with live shots is tremendously downplayed. Broadcast journalism here looks more like a skill set than a glamorous position.

I most appreciated our visit to the Sachsenhausen Memorial (a former Nazi concentration camp outside of Berlin) as well as our visit to the Hohenschönhausen Memorial (a former Stasi prison). These memorials were particularly difficult to visit, however, they are important parts of German and world history, and something that any person who visits Germany should experience. It was gut-wrenching to hear the conditions humans inflicted upon one another, yet inspiring to see how far this country and the world has come since those days. I couldn’t begin to imagine what desperation and hopelessness the people in these places experienced. I was also surprised to learn about just how far the Stasi planning went into controlling the lives of civilians. From wiretapping to collecting the scents of people (yes, I typed that correctly, they collected people’s scents in case they ever needed to track them down), I was amazed by how much time and money went into these operations.

In speaking with German citizens, students and other professionals, I realized how much Germans know about the U.S. yet how little many Americans know about Germany. I was most impressed to discover just how many people speak English. Everyone seemed to have some grasp of the language or spoke several and was happy to use them. This is vastly different from the U.S., where the second most popular language, Spanish, is only spoken by around 12 percent of the general population.

RIAS also allowed me to stay behind for an extra week and work on an individual project focusing on the Turkish community in Berlin. They helped me find contacts, hired photographers for a day to shoot stand-ups as well as arranged travel and hotel accommodations for me. This extra week allowed me to get onto the streets of Germany on my own and thoroughly explore the current issues facing the Turkish community in Berlin. I even had a chance encounter with the Prime Minister of Turkey during some of my free time in Belgium! This was a subject I had attempted to study before coming to Germany, however, I soon discovered that it is an extremely controversial issue to cover that is so multi-layered not even the entire week of research in Germany could do the topic justice. There are few books written today that cover the stereotypes and the underlying tensions both the Germans and the Turks claim to feel. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to spend time with both groups and hear their criticisms and hopes for the future of Germany.

It’s impossible to cram all of the wonderful experiences I had with the RIAS Commission in a single essay. The stories and lessons I learned from this fellowship are memories I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My time in Germany has caused me to look at American news more critically and reconsider the way I approach any story. I believe that the best way to learn is to see, feel and live the lesson for myself. My visit to Germany has invoked a renewed sense of curiosity in a global community. In many ways, the struggles that the U.S. and Germany face are quite parallel to one-another. It is important for these two countries to continue building relations and supporting one another. I owe RIAS a debt of gratitude for giving me the opportunity to understand this.

Jennifer MacDonald, CBS News, New York

Wunderbar! What an amazing experience with RIAS. As I sit here and cherry pick my fondest memories, I realize that to some they may seem simple and inconsequential: walking through East Berlin, noticing decrepit, pock-marked buildings as relics of World War II; debating with various people who felt that they “were better off in East Berlin”; hearing from a colleague that he knows Germans who aren’t Jewish but display menorahs in their homes because they feel so incredibly guilty. These small but descriptive details completely altered my perception and preconceived ideas about the country… and isn’t that a wonderful thing?

There aren’t many places with such a turbulent history like Germany and I’m ashamed to admit how little I knew before this fellowship. I certainly knew the Hohenschönhausen and Sachsenhausen Memorials would be life changing experiences and indeed both were. But I was also amazed at how the country’s history is woven into everyday life — by simply crossing over the cobblestone demarcation indicating the Berlin Wall or touring the architectural masterpiece that is the Bundestag. Even a simple drive by the Tempelhof Airport stirred up visions of air lifts and children running for candy. It seemed like everywhere we went we witnessed remnants of the country’s atrocities and triumphs.

The fellowship was such a welcome departure from my routine. As a journalist, I’m often tossed into a situation or crisis, asked to discern a few important facts and move on. It’s a rarity when I can actually debate an issue and put it into an historical context. For example, I knew a majority of Germans were against the war in Afghanistan but I just assumed this was disdain for the Bush Administration and its policies. I never realized the country’s violent past has so much to do with their current pacifism.

I was also surprised that one of my favorite discussions focused on immigration and assimilation — topics so bandied about and butchered by cable news outlets here in the U.S. that I assumed I would hear the same old discourse. Instead I was fascinated to hear from both communities about how they see the problem and potential solutions. In fact, one of the most memorable moments came from a young Turkish leader who confided that during a two week vacation in the U.S. he made more white friends than in an entire lifetime in Germany.

It’s a remarkable thing to visit a country with one point of view and leave with a completely altered outlook and I can’t thank you enough for letting me take part in such a program. Thank you to Rainer and Lisa with their saint’s patience and fantastic, dry sense of humor… you made a jam-packed schedule fun and interesting. And what a group of fellows — such a vast range of backgrounds and experience — it was truly a privilege to travel with you all. So here’s to the land of poets and thinkers — you bested all of my expectations.

Ryan McLendon, Freelancer, New York

The RIAS Berlin Kommission Broadcast Fellowship is quite possibly the best fellowship

I’ve had yet as a working journalist. Our hosts, Rainer Hasters and Lisa Ziss, were smart, efficient and determined to show all of us RIAS fellows a good time while making sure that we garnered a behemoth amount of information about how European Journalism operates and also how international governance bodies and treaty organizations conduct themselves abroad.

I have to say that my favorite leg of the trip was when the group traveled to Belgium to visit the European Union and NATO. Being very much interested in international politics, seeing how a international governing body works is greatly educational. The ono-on-one interviews with policy makers and experts gave us fascinating insights into how countries become members of the E.U., the politics involved when a new member attempts to become a member, and how the organization elects leaders. I was especially fond of the discussions we had about Turkey’s intention to enter the European Union and how contentious the discussion surrounding the issue has grown. I was surprised to learn of all the regulations and standards a country must adhere to in order to be a member and additionally I was astonished to here to progress Turkey has made in its attempts to gain membership, such as the radical ideological shifts in human and women’s rights within the country. It was also helpful to discuss what a Turkey as an E.U. country could possibly do to stabilize (or destabilized) the volatile regions it neighbors. Turkey has long been seen by the United States as an ally in the War on Terror and it could possible be an invaluable assets were in to be a member of E.U.

In addition the education endeavors we undertook in Belgium, the sightseeing was especially wonderful. On our day trip to Bruges, myself and some RIAS friends sampled the city’s selection of waffles, beer and chocolate and took in the sights on a leisurely bike ride through the city. It was a quiet, calm and peaceful reprieve to our sometimes hectic meeting scheduling. It was by far and away the highlight of my trip.

I would recommend the RIAS Broadcast Fellowship to any working journalist with an interest in international politics, European culture, or epicurean tendencies. The trip certainly broaden my horizons academically, culturally and socially. I know that the people I met on this fellowship will be valuable to me in my future career and my life.
Thank you so much for this experience.

Deanna Morgan, Fox 11 News KMSB, Tucson, AZ

You never know what you will take away from a trip abroad. I believe there is a lesson to be learned whenever you travel. Each time I travel to a different country, whether for vacation or learning or business, I return home having learned just as much about myself as I do about the country I visit.

The RIAS German Exchange Fellowship taught me not just about myself, but more than I could ever want to know about Germany and Belgium. In addition, it impressed upon me how important it is for countries to have good relations, how often Americans overlook and disregard citizens of other countries, and how good relations between countries cannot be developed by government alone, but by each country’s citizens getting to know each other.

As I think back on my time in Germany and Belgium with my colleagues in the RIAS Fellowship, one thing comes to mind: there is no one way to describe what the trip was like. In the past two months since I have returned home, many people have asked “how was your trip?” or “did you get to see a lot of Germany on your trip?” or “did you learn anything?”  The last two questions are easy to answer: yes. I am still working on an answer to the first question. 

To say our trip through Germany and Brussels was good is an understatement; however, to say it was exceptional does not exactly describe it either. Visiting a concentration camp where thousands of Jews were killed, tortured, and starved is not necessarily an exceptional thing to see. But, it was good to experience. 

The Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and the Stasi Prison we visited along with the former Stasi Prisoner we spoke with were enlightening experiences. Speaking to the leader of the Turkish community in Berlin was informative, yet disheartening. A lack of progress among any race or culture is unfortunate regardless of who or what causes it. The bus tour of Berlin was hard to keep up with. Most bus tours are. And, being jet lagged did not help. Our days were long, the majority of the time I did not mind. Each day started with a wonderful breakfast, which I still miss. Every speaker we met with seemed to be well-informed about culture, society, economics, government, public policy, international relations, media, immigration, and history in Germany and Belgium. Almost all were engaging. It was a lot of information to retain and process, but I did not feel pressured to remember everything. Because of that, my brain retained a lot more information than I thought it did.

What I will always remember about the RIAS German Exchange Fellowship are the discussions I had with the other fellows, who I am now proud to call my colleagues. What we learned and experienced each day sparked discussions that helped me learn about other Americans, how they feel about our country, and their likes and dislikes about Germany and Belgium. One woman I met is now a closer friend to me than people I have known for over a decade. I know we will be friends for a very long time, if not forever. I could not be more grateful to RIAS for that.

The first few weeks at home after the trip were challenging. The things I had learned, the people I had met, the time change, the “reality” I had created abroad were hard to let go of. But as the saying goes in America “all good things come to an end.” 

As for my answer to the question: how was your trip? The best answer I can think of this: there is one thing the trip was not. It was not bad. And, if I had the chance I would do all over again.

John Schwada, KTTV Channel 11, Los Angeles, CA

It’s so easy getting off on the wrong foot when you’re thinking about Germans. Like Hitler. The Holocaust… (Mark Twain helped get the ball rolling in this reqard with his essay “The Awful German Language”). Many of my Jewish friends in Los Angeles cringed when they heard I was going to Germany for two weeks. I felt I was betraying them; the day I was leaving I talked to one of them who said when she was in Germany she kept looking at “men of a certain age” and wondered what they were doing between 1933 and 1945. But the Third Reich is like a hangnail in my memory bank too. Persistent, irritating. Even for those of us who are not Jews.

* * *

Throughout our Berlin bus tour Monday there were constant reminders of Germany’s troubled past. The Jewish memorials and heavily-guarded holocaust museum are but a few examples of this past and, interestingly, are summoned up as signs of “good German” guilt and self-examination. So it was a little surprising that at Tempelhof, the vast airport built by Hitler, original Nazi eagle symbols are still prominent (and quite large) on the side of the terminal building, unpurged leftovers of a discredited past. Likewise, the German national anthem retains the music of Deutschlandlied (more notoriously known to us from the Nazi era as “Deutschland über alles” — or “Germany above all”) but the post-Nazi government dropped the first and second stanzas of the original lyrics, including the offending “Germany above all/Above all in the world” and adopted only the third stanza as the official anthem lyrics.

Meantime, while we in the media fret daily about the future of journalism, consider this: German public TV is rolling in dough supplied by government tax dollars; the public TV stations have giant publicly-funded news staffs; the stations do not report on car chases, garden-variety murders, minor rainstorms, celebrity malfeasance or any of the other stories that clutter our newscasts and bedazzle our viewers; the public stations also dish out fairly large doses of “castor oil” public interest stories that your mother says are important for you to ingest — and they do this even while enjoying better ratings than their privately-owned peers.

Also, German TV reporters, we have learned, rarely appear on camera, unlike their American counterparts who seem always to be doing “live-shots” and “standups” on camera. Their way, so the Germans believe, keeps the reporters in their proper place, as news-gatherers, not preening glamour boys and girls. Finally, the public stations are overseen by government-run bureaucracies that “ensure” that coverage is ethical and fair.

* * *

It would be an easy bet that Germany is not a hot topic among the celebrity-paparazzi set at the Ivy in Beverly Hills, among the struggling artists in LA’s loft district or even among those joining Larry King every morning at Jerry’s Deli in Studio City. But that doesn’t mean Americans are right to be so — so oblivious. The group I’m now traveling with — RIAS — would, if it could, open up these isolated minds and fill them up with German dumpleknowledgeist (okay, that’s a made-up word; sorry Goethe!!). RIAS is an exchange program for broadcast journalists; sixteen of us RIAS “fellows” are now in Germany, meeting with German government and media representatives in an effort to overcome our GGIG (Gaping German Ignorance Gap). Our twisted, comic-book version view is that even if the Germans are walking around now looking perfectly normal and civilized it wouldn’t take much for their masks to come off and for the terrible Hun to reappear. The flip-side is that most Americans are virtually clueless about Germany. Germany who? Is that a new Emo group, a spiky gel for hair, whatever. As Erik Kirschbaum, a Reuters wire reporter and a RIAS guest-speaker, told us over lunch: “I don’t think Americans know much about Germany or care about Germany (but) Germans care a lot about American opinions of them.”

Germans, so the common script runs, are pushy, territorially ambitious, anti-democratic, racist, intolerant and militaristic. Not exactly a crowd you’d want to have over for dinner, with your fine china, or characters who would be endearing babysitters for your children…

Here’s a thumbnail of what we’ve learned — through RIAS — about some our common misconceptions about Germany:

Anti-Liberal Myth: “Over the decades Germany has become more liberal. Eighty percent of Germans would have voted for Obama.” That was the assertion of Karsten D. Voigt, the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) foreign policy spokesperson (we heard virtually the same view from several other RIAS speakers). While current German chancellor (aka prime minister or big cheese) Angela Merkel is a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Voigt told us, that “in America Merkel would be a liberal,” especially when it comes to her commitment to the social welfare state and aversion to foreign military adventures. Along the same lines, Habicht movingly told us that “a third dictatorship (the first being the Nazi one, the second being the communist one in East Germany) cannot happen here — that I have promised my children.” Thomas Habicht, senior political editor for Rundfunk Berlin- Brandenburg, went on to say that Germans feel “a constant need to prove our democratic integrity to our neighbors” (like the French, the Poles, the Czechs and other surrounding nations) in order to ease their paranoia about the reappearance of German autocratic state.

* * *

If it wasn’t so horrifying, it would be comic: East German secret police “mopping up” the scent (yes — the scent, odor, smell, what have you!) of their fellow citizens and storing them in sealed fruit jars. The odor-samples were soaked up with pieces of cloth that were catalogued and kept in so-called "smell jars" (that can be seen in the photo to the right) in a vault for safe-keeping just for that rainy day when dissident Kris Zeitgeist or Johann Schwada might be on the lamb from the secret police. As Kris or Johann tried to evade the law, the cops would go to the scent library and pull out Kris’ odor, let a bloodhound sniff it and away they went — the dog bounding through East Germany, dragging a posse of secret police with him as he tried to catch up with Kris or Johann or whomever. The preparations behind this were equally crazy: Kris’ scent might have been clandestinely collected by an “informant” neighbor who had invited Kris over for a friendly beer. After Kris got up from the sofa, his neighbor would wipe Kris’ scent off the sofa-seat with the special cloth and send it off to his secret police handlers.

It sounds unbelievable, almost like some Woody Allen-spoof of a police-state. But it happened, and we members of the RIAS broadcast journalism exchange program Monday learned about this and much more at the quirky but fascinating Runde Ecke Memorial Museum in Leipzig. Runde Ecke is dedicated to keeping alive the memory of the outrages committed by the Stasi, the secret police that obsessively defended the communist government in East Germany for some 30 years by relentlessly intruding into citizens lives at best and imprisoning them at worst…

It is worth noting as well that no Stasi were prosecuted for crimes and former Stasi are even now receiving their pensions as retired government workers. The explanation: the Stasi were simply doing their job and not breaking the law (some dispute that, claiming that even the communist regime had laws on the books to protect the privacy of its citizens, a right routinely violated by Stasi snoops). However, some citizens are now seeking — or have obtained — some minor compensation for the abuses they suffered at the hands of the Stasi, we were told. Former Stasi officers — and informants, to the extent that they are known — are forbidden to hold police jobs or elective office. There is currently some effort being made by the Bundestag — the German parliament — to systematically check the backgrounds of its MP’s to determine if they had Stasi ties. This initiative, if approved, would appear to pose a threat mostly to members of die Linke, the minor German leftist party that gets the lion’s share of its support from voters in the former GDR (East Germany). Die Linke’s critics say this party is the direct descendent of the East German communist political party, the SED.

* * *

Anyway. Back to Turkey — modern Turkey — it’s a promise or a pain, depending on how you look at it, and a very hot topic in Europe. I just spent several days “gathering string” (an old newspaper term) about Turkey as part of my fellowship with RIAS, the terrific exchange program for American journalists who want to learn about Germany and the pan-European institutions of NATO and the European Union.

Turkey is a nation of some 70 million people that has been strategically important for years (a member of NATO since the 1960s), and now Turkey is seeking admission to the EU — that would be the European Union, the hugely successful, trans-national economic organization in Europe.

Now Turkey’s burden, as it has tried to gain EU admission, has been its rich history of having a military establishment that can’t keep its hands off  the civilian government (in this respect, Turkey is kind of like many South American countries where the failure of a civilian government results in a not-so-bloodly coup d’etat, that puts some general, with lots of medals on his chest, in the hot seat for a while and then there’s…another revolution and then…you get the picture). Turkey’s military, in short, has historically played a big role in running the country. Too big, according to many EU members. In fact, a nation seeking admission to the EU must meet certain criteria — or pre-conditions — before it can join the EU club. Jean-Christophe Filori, a top EU official, told us that candidate-nations must be democratic, must protect human rights, treat their ethnic minorities well etc., etc.

Oh, but of course. I failed to mention that the Turks are also like… Muslims. Yeah, Muslims. Okay, now that really is a bit of a problem: having a Muslim nation in the European Union, especially one with a bigger population than all the existing EU nations except Germany.

* * *

Michael Jackson is dead but the Turkish question remains an enduring — perhaps death-defying — controversy in Germany. So let’s go to blackboard, kids — forget about MJ. Let’s talk about Turkey…

In 1999, Germany joined with all the rest of the member-nations of the European Union (now consisting of 27 nations total) gave Turkey the green-light to apply for membership in the EU, that economic “club” credited with strengthening Europe’s economy and maintaining peace on this often war-torn continent. It was a daring first: like offering an African-American membership in a lily-white country club in the U.S. in, say, 1965. After all, Turkey was — and still is — a Muslim nation.

But now, ten years later, Turkey’s application for EU membership is in serious limbo (some in Turkey might call it a sort of hell). That limbo got more intensely dubious (more limbo-ish if you will) after 9/11 and amid growing concerns about Muslim immigrants in Europe, many from Turkey.

The fear of Islam is “deeply-rooted” in Europe, one German interior ministry official recently told a group of visiting American broadcast journalists (myself included) in Berlin.
In fact, the European reptilian brain has an historical memory of Islam that goes way, way deeper than 9/11.

A little history: France might be an Arab-speaking nation today if Charles “The Hammer” Martel had not defeated the invaders of the Umayyad Caliphate (read — Moorish Muslims) in 732 BC at the Battle of Tours. Still, the Moors held forth in southern Spain for another seven centuries until they were ejected by the crusading Christian armies of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. Likewise, in the Balkans — on the southeast flank of Europe — the Ottoman Empire (aka modern-day Turkey) and its armies were all-mighty for several centuries in these rugged environs; the Ottomans came very close to capturing Vienna in 1683, only narrowly defeated by a Holy League of nations and principalities, led by King of Poland John III Sobieski. Even today, Allah is God in wide parts of the Balkans; the old wounds and legacy of these ancient quasi-religious wars in the Balkans were starkly evident only a few years ago in the chaos and genocide in Bosnia. Several nations in this region — notably Albania — have large Muslim minorities. This in Europe proper.

Okay, you get the picture: the soft, southern underbelly of Europe, at times, has been a turbulent battlefield between Islam and the West. Thus, in part, the origin of “deep-rooted” German concerns about Islam — and Turkish membership in the EU.

Ann Thompson, WVXU-FM, Cincinnati, OH

Wow! What a wonderful immersion in German and European culture. I thoroughly enjoyed getting a “behind the scenes” look at the history and events, which shape the country today, and doing it with such a great group of journalists.

The history came alive especially as Eberhard Zahn recounted his ten months at Hohenschönhausen by touring the facility and pointing out his cell at the former Stasi prison. I was amazed at how much forgiveness this West German had for such a terrible event. Even today, twenty years after the fall of the wall, I was surprised to learn through Thomas Habicht (Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg) the suspiciousness of the Stasi, and the thousands of citizens they recruited, still plays a role in the 10-thousand new monthly applications to see individual files. Irmtraut Hollitzer and her son certainly had an understanding of the Stasi. It was interesting to see their museum in Leipzig and hear how the demonstrations there eventually helped lead to the crumbling of the Berlin Wall.

I spoke to one journalist (a former RIAS fellow) who got his start covering the opening of the border between the East and West. And it was interesting to hear from other reporters and anchors in Berlin, Leipzig and Cologne. The talk by Germany’s number one rated national news anchor, RTL’s Peter Kloeppel was very informative. I appreciated hearing the differences in public and private TV, and that local news is not a focus.

Through the journalists and politicians I gained a better understanding of the German political system. It seems generally Germans are much more informed about government happenings than the average American. I didn’t realize Turkey and the issue of its immigrants was such a big issue for Germany. Peter Altmaier of the Ministry of the Interior reported in the last fifty years Germany has seen more migration than any other nation…in Germany’s big cities it’s 50%. To deal with a growing Muslim population, twice a year the country holds a German-Islam conference. I also liked hearing from the Turks themselves.

Like most nations, immigrants in Germany seem to be at somewhat of a disadvantage in an economy that is beginning to see the effects of a global economic crisis. Dr. Werner Eichhorst the with the Institute for the Study of Labor predicts next year the number of unemployed will increase by 1.5 million. From him, I also now know about “required” maternity leave, and the career education track available to German students.

My general impressions of Germany are:  it’s a nation that doesn’t want to forget its past, (memorials) but at the same time is trying to move forward in a peaceful, (anti-war) green, (subway, biking, train, solar energy) and smart financial way, (home ownership, low credit card debt, and short-term labor) to benefit its citizens.

Again, thank you to RIAS for this unforgettable trip! It was as sweet as the smell of the Linden trees.

Alexandra L. Woodruff, Freelancer, Los Angeles

Borders

I was five when my parents packed up a rental car with suitcases of cigarettes, chocolates and clothing. We were in Vienna; the gifts that stuffed the car were for my family across the border. The year was 1980 and Czechoslovakia was snuggly tucked behind the iron curtain.

My mother, my father, my sister and I drove east, direction Bratislava. As the border approached, we pulled over and my mother got out of the car, hugged and kissed us all goodbye. Tears soaked her face as we drove across the border; she bravely waved goodbye and as she stared into country she grew up in.

Growing up, I was always keenly aware of the divisions and dissections that Soviet influenced communism cut through Europe. Now, almost twenty years later it’s so hard to believe that the iron curtain and the Berlin Wall exited. That people spied on their neighbors, that families were barred from seeing each other, that people were arrested and jailed for saying the wrong thing or expressing a belief. Walking around Berlin today, it’s difficult to remember what was. The Ritz Carlton and Starbucks have replaced the checkpoints and the guards.

The commodification of the era, with the fake passport stamps and the chips of the Berlin Wall for sale, makes it hard to really absorb what happened there, but there are moments that make one understand. During my stay in Berlin, I was introduced to an artist, Roland, through another former RIAS fellow. He grew up in East Berlin. When we met I teased, that I had brought him candy and chocolate from the West. Just like I had done for my cousins in Czechoslovakia. Roland, in turn, pretended to be so thankful for the generous gifts from the West.

Most of our interactions were in jest about stereotyping the attitudes of the people from the East and the West. Then, one night as we toured with a small group a park that ran along the border of the two Berlins. We strolled next to a stadium as people grilled meats and played ball in the park. There was a sense of joy in a place that had been divided by the wall. As our group bantered around, Roland looked pensively around and said, “I never thought in my lifetime, I would be walking in this park.”

This moment of honest introspection made me pull away from the humor and forget the tourist trinkets that annoyed me so. It’s hard to absorb the tangible and intangible pain these borders created for so many people: the stifling government control, the constant grating fear and the countless families who were separated.

My mother wasn’t able to go home for more than two decades. Now, Slovakia is part of the European Union and the border guards and checkpoints are gone. The border stations are skeleton structures that are just some of the structures that are memory trinkets that we can use to remember the ghosts of the past. I feel thankful that I was able to have a window into such an amazing story in history.